Harley's getting in my way again

Just got back from my Sunday morning blat around the local canyons on my 750. These Harley people amaze me. Its happened 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I am gently riding my 750 and they think I am trying to race them when I am not. The next thing you know, this huge dangerous looking thing is next to me, sounds like thunder, with some massive knuckle head screaming a Harley by me. I don't think they are meant to rev that high (never ridden one). So they force me to open up the 750. I am now comfortable with 5,500 or 6000 revs (750 is broken in). I leave them standing and that is on the straight. I am not sure how fast 750 Commando's normally are, but thanks again Jim Comstock for spending the extra time on my cylinder head, doing the followers and selling me the cam. Bike runs very well, actually scares me a bit when it really starts revving/moving. I think it is faster than my MK3 and that goes very well too.

Cheers- Jerry

You shouldn't be surprised Jerry. The roadways are the best place to see the spectrum of the neroses of americans.... It isn't just motorcyclists. I think cars drivers are worse in this regard, prompting my favorite car joke:

What's the difference between a porcupine and a porsche??

The porcupine has the prick on the outside...

That's funny, never heard that one

For 10 years I rode a Triumph Speed Triple. Every 18 year-old in a tuner Civic, Harley, etc. wanted to race. After a while I feel I humiliated the Civic drivers more if I ignored them revving at the lights. But, the Harleys always had to be struck down. Noise doesn't always mean fast. Whether I'm on a Commando, or my '69 Trident, I think people in cars and bikes are amazed how fast they are. They expect some old crock chugging away from a light, and they don't get that......

I just got home last Monday from a 1400-mile trip on the ZX-14. Spent two days riding the excellent roads of Central Arkansas. Packs of slow-moving Harleys were clogging up many of the good sections, jamming up soccer moms in minivans and log trucks as well. Their pack mentality never ceases to amaze me. If someone wants to ride 10 under rather than 10 over, so be it, but don't pack up and deprive everyone else of the opportunity of actually going somewhere and getting there in a timely manner. The leader of one group of nonconformists began slowing and wobbling when he saw a small dog beside the roadway and my friend and riding partner practically ran into him while attempting to pass. As we went by he was excitedly pointing and shaking his pudding-pot beanie, oblivious to the fact he had nearly fallen down avoiding a dog that wasn't even on the pavement, much less nearly caused someone with a bit more common sense to crash into his chrome-and-LED festooned rear end. You can't pass them one at a time, because they don't leave room, so you are left with the choice of languishing behind them or blasting by the whole pack. Guess which choice we made. Every time. Another friend calls them rolling road cones. How apt.

This is something that someone will have to explain to me, maybe a police officer:
Your go by a Police cruiser at 60 in a 30 mph zone, you get stopped, probably get a ticket. Ride by a cruiser with a beer in one hand, the officer sees you, you know what will happen.
But ride by on motorcycle, a large V twin motorcycle with straight pipes, you get ignored. Illegal in every state. I am not talking here about an aftermarket muffler that is extra loud, I mean no muffler at all, really loud cracking bark, hurts your ears loud, vibrates your windows loud. I am sure some places enforce it, but not around here.
It just gives all of us a bad name.

Where i live (southern california) the Harley packs really get in the way, roads are already crowded. That is why i go over the mountain to decent roads. It is very annoying getting there as they are in the way. Probably why i have not got a speeding ticket lately, "touch wood". I find it easier to get passed cars than through a pack of harleys.

Its not the make of the motorcycle. Its the inconsiderate idiot on it.
I will agree that there are a large amount of inconsiderate knuckleheads that ride Harley Davidsons. I will tell you that I am not one of those.
I do have an HD in my garage, right next to my Commando.

Lot of posers on Harleys. Few Harley owners are real riders. I live about 50 miles from Daytona Beach (Daytona is the race track, Daytona Beach is the town) and I see many local Harley owners trailering their Harley to Bike Week rather than ride it the 50 miles to Daytona Beach.

90% of all Harleys are still on the road, the rest made it to their destination.

MikeM said:

Its not the make of the motorcycle. Its the inconsiderate idiot on it.
I will agree that there are a large amount of inconsiderate knuckleheads that ride Harley Davidsons. I will tell you that I am not one of those.
I do have an HD in my garage, right next to my Commando.

Click to expand...

Some people buy a Harley and immediately buy into the "lifestyle" thing, which includes pack riding at below-limit velocities. You rarely see them ride solo, and their treks are mostly short distance, TT-type (tavern-to-tavern). Of course, not all Harley riders are dim bulbs, but some seem to forego intelligence when they get in a group. I suppose the urge to fit in with one's "peers" is, at times, stronger than ordinary common sense.

P. Egan (I tend to quote him often) once told a story about riding his own Harley and getting jammed up by what he assumed was someone driving a motorhome on a rolling two-lane highway. When he was finally able to pick off all the four-wheel vehicles in the conga line one-by-one, he discovered the problem to be a pack of Harley types riding nose-to-tail, necessitating the high-speed blast past to get around. Later, he was at a Harley dealer getting something for his bike when he heard two riders discussing an incident where another Harley rider had blasted by their group at high speed. "No lane discipline", muttered one as the other nodded in agreement. Realizing it was himself they were referring to, he recounted a "similar" incident he had experienced in which a pack of slow-moving Harleys had forced him to fly around them en masse, since they afforded no space to pass singularly. He told them after he had gotten home, he called several friends to relate the incident and told them if he ever held up traffic while riding any motorcycle, they should just shoot him in the head, because life as he knew it was over.

Since it seems to be bash Harley rider time I feel I have to contribute.

Some years ago I worked with several guys who all went out and bought brand new HDs. They showed up complete with black leathers with a huge patch on the back proudly proclaiming HOG - Harley Owners group. Before I read it I thought these mild mannered guys had suddenly joined an outlaw gang when in fact they had just bought the bike their mothers wouldn't let them have.

They invited me on a charity ride and I figured why not as it was a good cause. On the day-of, my Commando was down with a flat so I took my Suzuki. Well, I got the worst looks and thumbs down. I thought it was for charity! The pack mentality and precise spacing as well as the slow speeds and dirty looks finally got to me. Relegated to the back as was I just passed them all reaching close to 140 by the leader and just kept going.

What's up with the forward controls?

When one of my co-workers offered to let me ride his new bike I promptly dragged the foot boards in the parking lot - to his horror! I just brought it back to him and said it was too much bike for me.

It occurs to me that once upon a time Harley riders appeared to be non-conformist.

Now it seems to be the very opposite, just buy into the corporate subsidised HOG lifestyle and be a weekend warrior, go to some HOG organised meets and compare t-shirts and belts. Just like a thousand identically equipped other folk, then get a screaming eagle catalogue and hey-presto you're a customiser. Then cruise down the highway with your mates, daydreaming that you're totally badass.

What an utter bore.

I agree however it's the rider not the bike, nothing wrong with the bike per se, and also there are plenty of nice people on hogs, but they are in the minority and usually have other bikes too..

I love them, not in a riding love but to get behind them if they are in a big group and quickly start to filter through them, my hot 850 Featherbed handles so well I just play with them when they get in the twisties, I sit behind them without them even knowing I am there till I shoot past them usualy in the corners and if they are sitting out wide enough passing them on the inside of the corners, it scares the shit out of them, give them a bit of taste of their own medicine with there loud pipes, mine you my Norton is pretty loud when the cam kicks in with it open mufflers, it usualy don't take me long to get through the pack and even better when a few of my mates are with me and doing the same thing as I am, some times we stop for a rest up the top of the range to let them catch up and past us so we can do it all over again, the Harley riders get so pissed off, but its so much fun for me and my mates.

I pulled into a service station to refuel where there was a group of HOG riders sitting around having a chat when one smart arse sheiler (girl Harley rider) yelled out loudly "when are you going to get a real bike" I walked over to her and said to her, " love I got a real bike, its very fast, its light and it handles so good that its like riding on rails, so if you want to jump on the back and you will find out real quick what a real bike feels like, most of the male HOG riders pissed them selfs with laughter and put her in her place.

Most but not all Harley riders think they are above everone else and think that their Harlies should be the only bikes on the road and of course the worst ones are the mates that have tuned to riding Harlies and they change, they put on their hard arse face look, I just give them a bit of a laught when I am pasting them and leaving them in my dust.

Ashley

Whomever is in charge should close this thread. Its starting to go bad and will get worse.
There are idiots on all makes of bikes, Norton included.

I dont mind Harleys or thier owners. I know nice people who ride them. Its only when they get in the way or try to race me. The only reason they try to race is because they think they can win as commandos dont look fast when you see them. It is my fault for starting a Harley bash topic and i should not have. Sorry

I think there is room for one more .... besides the Commando the daily rider has been my Ducati ST3s .... it is a very fast , well suspended machine .... early this spring I was out 2 times with a fellow Duc. rider who is returning to the road after a devastating crash .... so we were proceeding at the posted speed .... both times out on secondary roads we were passed by Harleys with guys riding feet up in the lazy boy position .... want to bet they didn't brag about bagging 2 Ducatis while they were out .... jeesh
Craig

I don't have any problems with Harlies or their riders, its the addertude of some of their owners that get me going, I have lots of mates that own them and yes we have fun putting shit on each other.

Ashley

I have always taken the live and let live, each to his own and if we all get back alive and uninjured its been a good day . The killing season has started on our local roads with several foreign riders killed and seriously injured by motor cars already.

Went on a group run to Tighnabruich on Saturday, narrow single track roads ,wet ,gravel and cars forcing you nearly off the Tarmac , I would have been glad to see a bunch of Harley's.

Say what you will about Harley, but you may want to get with you broker and grab up some stock. It's on a healthy rise. HOG on your index.
Any compliment from a Harley rider will bound to be somewhat passive aggressive. Acknowledging anything other than their own is a bitter pill, but the Norton is bigger than life and can rarely be denied or ignored no matter what you may ride.

"I raced a Harley today and after some really hard riding I managed
to PASS the guy. I was riding on one of those really, really
twisting sections of mountain road with no straight sections to
speak of and where most of the bends have warning signs that
say "MAX SPEED 50 KPH".

I knew if I was going to pass one of those monsters with those
big-cubic-inch motors, it would have to be a place like this where
handling and rider skill are more important than horsepower alone.

I saw the guy up ahead as I exited one of the turns and knew I could
catch him, but it wouldn't be easy. I concentrated on my braking and
cornering. Three corners later, I was on his mudguard. Catching him
was one thing; passing him would prove to be another.

Two corners later, I pulled up next to him as we sailed down the
mountain. I think he was shocked to see me next to him, as I nearly
got by him before he could recover. Next corner, same thing. I'd
manage to pull up next to him as we started to enter the corners but
when we came out he'd get on the throttle and out-power me. His
horsepower was almost too much to overcome, but this only made me
more determined than ever.

My only hope was to out-brake him. I held off squeezing the lever
until the last instant. I kept my nerve while he lost his. In an
instant I was by him. Corner after corner, I could hear the roar of
his engine as he struggled to keep up. Three more miles to go before
the road straightens out and he would pass me for good.

But now I was in the lead and he would no longer hold me back. I
stretched out my lead and by the time we reached the bottom of the
canyon, he was more than a full corner behind. I could no longer see
him in my rear-view mirror.

Once the road did straighten out, it seemed like it took miles
before he passed me, but it was probably just a few hundred yards. I
was no match for that kind of horsepower, but it was done. In the
tightest section of road, where bravery and skill count for more
than horsepower and deep pockets, I had passed him. Though it was
not easy, I had won the race to the bottom of the mountain and I had
preserved the proud tradition of one of the best bits of Brit iron.

I will always remember that moment. I don't think I've ever pedaled
so hard in my life. And, some of the credit must go to Raleigh
cycles, as well. They really make a great bicycle..."

SCNR